Mildew or injury to fibrous materials



thxital 5 EDW IN 1. RICE, or NEW YORK. N. Y.-

Letters Patent No. 83,409, dated October 27 1868.

IMPROVED MODE OI PREVENTING MILDEW OR INJURY TO FIIRbU'S MATERIALS DURING THEIR MANUFACTURE.

- The Schedule referred to in these Iietters Patent and making part of the same.

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known 'that I, EDWIN 1. RICE, of the city and State of New York, have invented and made a certain new and useful Improvement in preventing Mildew or Injury to Fibrous Materials while in the Process of Manufacture; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the said invention, and of the objects to be apcomplished by the same.

Fibres of most kinds, when wet or moist, can be worked to better advantage, in one or more of/the Va rious operations of drawing, spinning, spooling, beaming, or weaving, than when dry. This is particularly thecase with flax, Moisture softens the fibres, causes them to adhere together, and renders them somewhat elastic, or yielding and pliable, and the yarn drawn'and spun moist can be made stronger and more eventhan when spun dry. g i V A great difliculty, however, has heretofore been eX- perienced from the moisture, where the yarn or fabric has not been immediately andthoroughly dried, because the moisture, if allowed to remain, causes fermentation and mildew, and renders the threads or fabric rotten and useless, or else impaired in their strength and beauty.

Flax yarns are spun wet, by passing the roving through water, as it goes from the spool. to the drawing-rollers. To preserve such'yarns from fermentation and mildew, they are usually reeled immediately off into skeins, and thoroughly dried before they can'be spooled or otherwise madeavailable for warping 0r manufacture. Also, in weaving flax, recourse has been had to apparatus for moistcning the warps between the yarnbeains and the heddles, because it has been necessary .to spool and beam the yarn thoroughly dry; otherwise.

the yarn would be materially injured by the lapse of time necessary in using the-same. ,It has also been necessary to use care in spreading and drying the fabric when woven, for like reasons.

-The difficulties are necessarily increased in damp weather, and bylthe high temperature of warm weather. The object of myinvention' is to prevent injury, by fermentation, mildew, or otherwise, to wet or moist fibres while in process of manufacture; and my said invention consists in the discovery that the material known as carbolic acid or phenic acid, creosote 01' coaltarcreosote, or materials containing the same, when mixed with water, in about the proportion of one part of carbolic acid, orsimilar material or acid, to two hundred and fifty parts of water, will effectually prevent injury to flax, and other threads or fabrics, while in the process of manufacture, so that the difl'erent operations of manufacture may be performed continuously, and whilc'the flbres remain moist or damp, without risk of injury by fermentation, mildew, or otherwise. Oarbolic acid may thus be used, itis obvious, in the usual troughs on spinning-flames; in the sizing or dressing-troughs or vats; in the apparatus for moistening the warps in the loom, and wherever it is advantageous to work the fibre or yarn in a moist condition.

I find'that the fibres moistened to any desired extent with carbolic acid (also sometimes called phonic acid) and water, are preserved thereby, and a spool or beam filled with yarn or other masses of fibre, in the yarn, fabric, or otherwise, can thus be kept for any desired length of time in a moist condition without inury.

If considerable time is likely to elapse between the saturation or moistening of the fibres and their use, the proportion of carbolicacid may be increased.

The proportion of carbolic acid used may also be increased or diminished to advantage, as the acid itself is weaker or' stronger.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is--,

Moist-clung flax or other fibres with the material specified, so as to prevent mildew or other injury to the same while being manufactured, sul'istantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature, this 25th day of September, A. D. 1868.

' EDWIN. T. RICE.

WVitnes'ses:

Orms; H. SMITH, Gno. T. lfiincunny. 

